By: Cassandra DesVergers
A Trip Down the Rabbit Hole
A dizzying, steep slope lined with escalators and handrails transports the audacious traveler into a psychedelic dreamland filled with colorful buildings and mosaic sculptures.
Park Güell rests on a 196-foot slope on the south side of Carmel Hill. Gaudí intentionally placed the park here to encourage "spiritual elevation."
Born out of a figment of architect Antoni Gaudí’s imagination, Park Güell has consistently been one of Barcelona's main attractions with more than 9 million visitors per year.
En Route
Barcelona offers plenty of transportation options, so there are many ways to get to Park Güell. Visitors can either take the metro, a shuttle bus or the famous Hop-on Hop-off Bus.
Tickets are required to enter the park and can be purchased online or at the park itself. At 13 euros for an adults and 9 euros for a child, this monument is a relatively cheap must-see.
Tickets are also time-slotted with a maximum of 400 people allowed per half-hour from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. However, once in, visitors can stay and take as many photos to their heart's content.
Over 100 Years of History
The political picture of Spain in the 19th century shows a traumatic clash between the monarchy and a new, unstable system. As a result, the upper class of Spain continued to grow while the rest of Spain struggled.
With a burning desire rooted in the revolutionary system, artists and architects like Gaudí desperately tried to revive the traditions of Catalan culture. In doing so, they also spurred the modernism movement.
Born to a family of boilermakers in 1852, Gaudí developed a knack for space and volume. As a friend and fan of Gaudí's three-dimensional genius, entrepreneur Eusebi Güell asked if Gaudí could help create a revolutionary housing complex for affluent families.
Based on the 20th-century English “garden city movement,” the complex was to include its own market, theater, public square and plenty of green, open-air spaces.
However, investors of the Catalan upper class did not receive this now-UNESCO World Heritage site well and construction was stopped in 1914.
Devastated, Gaudí purchased the plot himself and remained there with his family until his death in 1926. It was also within that same year the property was officially opened as a public park.
“This is pretty and all,” a German tourist said. “But, I wish I could see the full scheme of what the park would have looked like.”
The Man and His Work
Spanning over 42 acres, Park Güell is one of the largest green spaces in Barcelona. Home to many distinct spaces and quirky spaces, the park includes Gaudí’s house, the Guard Museum, Three Cross Hill, Gardens of Austria and the Hypostyle Room.
Although apps have replaced the paper maps, a pleasantly maze-like navigation system is posted throughout the park for visitors to reference if needed.
Marking the entrance, are two charming gingerbread-like houses complete with candy-cane spires. What was initially supposed to be lodging, these buildings now instead function as an information center and a gift shop.
The curved architecture of the lodge buildings is a motif featured prominently throughout the park.
Using “biomimicry,” Gaudí was able to mimic shapes and patterns found in the natural world. His unique style is evidently displayed in the park’s vivid colors and textures, organic design and religious imagery.
The porter’s lodge is now a featured part of the Barcelona History Museum.
Making way through the park, two plunging white staircases part like a wave around a dragon fountain. Nicknamed, "El Drac," this iconic, flamboyant lizard doubles as the guardian of the park.
A symbol of Barcelona and a defining icon of Park Güell, these staircases tend to be jam-packed with tourists and locals alike.
Perched behind the stairway is the unassuming Hypostyle Room (or “Sala Hipóstila” to the locals). Anything but modest, this wavy Greek temple features a forest of slanted columns and a snaking 328-foot tiled bench.
As a fan of classical architecture, Gaudí designed this columned hall as the would-be marketplace.
Using the “trencadís” technique, Gaudí broke up colorful pieces of shards and broken ceramic tiles and plates to design the flowing mosaics that cover the walls, ceilings, benches and statues.
Gaudí used discarded tiles from local factories to build his asymmetrical arrangements.
Above the Hypostyle is the enormous open-forum Nature Square. Originally dubbed the “Greek Theater,” this area allows for a clear sighting of the swaying green palm groves alongside a cityscape perspective of where the blue sky and Mediterranean meet.
There are a variety of panoramic points throughout the park that allow for extensive views of the whole city.
“The view is so beautiful up here,” a Spanish resident exclaimed. “I think I could stare at the city for hours.”
The idea of shared space like this was central to the park’s foundation. However, its location on the side of a mountain presented Gaudí with a challenge.
Hoping to preserve a sense of community, he designed a winding web of alleyways, bridges and viaducts to connect the higher and lower reaches of the park.
Gaudí’s ability to construct this abstract landscape under such locational difficulties is considered an engineering marvel.
Tucked in the back corner is the ironically conventional Austria Gardens. Given the funky nature of Park Güell, this garden is arguably the most “normal” area.
This garden sits on the site where Gaudí planned to build many of the community’s homes. However, after it was opened as a public park, this area became a plant nursery with many trees and plants donated from the country of Austria.
While perhaps less architecturally stunning, the free nature zones of the park, like the Austria Gardens, contain charming and masterful nature. It is also way less polluted with people than the other bustling sightseeing areas.
“It is just so peaceful being in nature,” a local resident said. “I sit here in the forest for hours.”
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